Panther Jagdpanther tracks

[vincent hung shu yue]

Hello all
As promise I will have one set for field trial this Saturday. And I will let you know the outcome.
Vincent

[mark lawson]

I will be interested to see the finished product and a demonstration film please.

[vincent hung shu yue]

Hello
The caster is too busy, so they can't delivery the first set to me on Saturday. It will be delayed for two weeks..
Regards
Vincent

[vincent hung shu yue]

Hi all
Finally get the whole set of track links..
Will have a field trial very soon. And will post the video for you..
Cheers
Vincent

[Kevin Tomkinson]

Those tracks are looking really good. Looking forward to seeing a video of them on a tank.

[vincent hung shu yue]

After half day's work , put the pin and collars on ..full set of the track links. Looking great!
Waiting for weather for field trial..

[vincent hung shu yue]

Hi all
New tracks on . Test drive on wooden floor and goes so smoothly. Full speed, one side forward and reverse..
Raining all the days, and still waiting for outdoor.
Regards
Vincent

[William Gardeniers]

Hi Vincent looking really good, watch out for your wooden floor with these tracks.
Hope the weather will be soon good, and we can watch the video.

Regards William

[Lewis Sleep]

Hello Vincent these tracks are looking brilliant & so realistic!

I have been following your post for a while now & I am very interested in it as I have a Panther Tank myself.

Weathers not so great here either but hopefully it clears up your end.

Thanks
Lewis

[Kent Wiik]

Hallo Vincent,

Well done my friend!
They look awesome and the track pin with collar look spot on the real thing.
Hope all goes well at the out door test, fingers crossed.

One tiny, tiny thing.....
The links are placed up side down.
Looking at the front on a Panther the chevrons shall be "V A V".



No big deal just switch sides of them.

For some unknown reason at the Jagdpanther the chevrons was "A V A".
(Maybe because it was more important with good grip as in reverse backing out of battle?)

Looking forward for more news from you.
Kind regards
Kent

[vincent hung shu yue]

Hello Kent
Thank you for advise. Will swift to the right position.
Cheers
Vincent

[Fabrice Le Roux]

Hi Kent,

Good point. The reversing of the tracks on the Jagdpanther is a bit of a mystery.

But just to be clear the tracks are the exactly the same castings but deliberately mounted the wrong way round on some Jagdpanthers.

When viewed from the front the raised bar (with the cleats cast in) on the gun tank is at the bottom of each track link. The supporting webs would therefore be under compressive load when the Panther was accelerating forwards. Arguably the cutting edge of the track also strikes the ground first and digs in better.

A number of wartime photos show Jagdpanthers with the bar at the top of each link, hence the inverted cleat pattern. This includes photos of the test vehicle (V 102) at the Verskraft in Kummersdorf (Spielberger, 1993,Panther and its Variants, pp 187-192). So the configuration was not simply an improvised field modification. But just to confuse matters further there are photos of Jagdpanthers with the Panther track configuration, for example a pair of Jagdpanthers recorded at Meppen at the war's end (Archer & Auerbach,2008, Panzerwrecks 6, pp 8-11).

The only logical conclusion is that the notional improvment in traction when reversing out of an ambush position was deemed sufficent to justify flipping the tracks, at least in the earlier vehicles. Vehicles with the later bolted mantlet appear to have the gun tank configuration more commonly.

Do the surviving examples provide any clarity? Of course not! The IWM and Saumur examples have reversed tracks (not withstanding the Saumur JP being a late type). SdKfz Foundations' beautifully restored example has non-reversed tracks, ditto Bovington, Aberdeen Proving Ground and WTS, Koblenz. Clear as mud.

Speilberger was a Jagdpanther commander and writes in considerable detail, and with authority, about the recoil testing and performance of the vehicle. Unfortunately he makes no mention of the track configuration, so perhaps it was just found to be a non-issue in the field and Werkstatts mounted the tracks both ways.

So handily for Jagdpanther owners, both configurations are right, unless you are making one featured in a photo or museum, then you have a reference anyway.

Look forward to seeing a few more JPs finished and sporting Vincent's handsome tracks.

cheers,
Fabrice

[Bill Brown]

Fantastic looking track links, very exciting.

[vincent hung shu yue]

Hi all
Just swift to the right position..
Video is coming...
Cheers
Vincent

[vincent hung shu yue]

Hi
Here is the video